


You Got It Wrong

by nessiegirl



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Camping, Festivals, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-20 16:42:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10666662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nessiegirl/pseuds/nessiegirl
Summary: Louis knows that a weekend at Glastonbury is going to be far better than whatever Liam's doing, back home in London. Liam disagrees, so Louis' determined to prove him wrong.





	You Got It Wrong

**Author's Note:**

  * For [justyrae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/justyrae/gifts).



> Soooo all the way back in 2015 Justine and I took part in fic exchanges where we wrote for someone else, but didn't get anything back in return. We agreed instead to write something for each other, and at the time, she actually finished the one for me. I, however, have only just finished the piece for her. Sorry it's so late <3
> 
>  
> 
> Also big thank you to Justine ([justyrae](http://archiveofourown.org/users/justyrae)) who beta read this and made sure it made sense, even though it was abandoned for almost two years and by then I had completely different ideas about where the plot was going.
> 
>  
> 
> Title is from What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction.

Louis grins at his phone as he sends the photo. Only half an hour down the road, and already the beers are open and the three of them are having a great time. Liam’s going to seriously regret missing out on Glastonbury, and all the fun they’ll have this weekend.

It takes Liam an hour to respond - and Louis doesn’t instantly grab his phone to see it, no matter what Niall says - and all that comes back is a photo, with no caption. Ha! Clearly Liam knows that he was wrong, that Glasto will be ace, and he regrets not coming with them. It’s probably his pouty face, all sad and sorry that he’s home alone for the next three days.

However, when Louis opens the photo, that’s not what he gets. It is a selfie, but Liam’s lying on his bed, one arm curled around a pillow while the blanket lies low enough to show he’s shirtless. He looks so warm and snuggly and comfortable, and Louis just wants to crawl in next to him for a cuddle.

But then Louis spots the smug grin on Liam’s face, like he knows how lucky he is to be lying around in bed when Louis had to get up three hours ago for the long journey down, and no. Louis will not stand for this. He is the lucky one here, he gets to go to a music festival with his friends and see some great bands and act like a normal human being for a few days. A bit of mud and rain and a cramped bed in a caravan are worth it for how fun this will be.

Now all Louis has to do is convince Liam that he's right.

 

They arrive at the site at eleven, and with Oli’s help they quickly find their caravans, with Louis’ mates hanging around outside. “This one’s ours,” Calvin tells them, pointing a thumb over his shoulder. “Yours is a bit nicer, mate - we can tell who’s got the money.”

Louis grins awkwardly at them, because he always feels bad about the money thing, but Stan just laughs. “They’re bloody caravans, Cal. Doesn’t matter how nice they are, it’s still a tin can in a field with no privacy or proper loos.”

Niall and Alberto have already gone in theirs, and when Louis climbs the steps it goes from being fairly full to completely packed, with no space for anyone to move. The festival people had a list of minimum requirements, so it’s got all the essentials - a dining table with two seats that fold down to make a double bed at night, a bit of cooking stuff and places to store food and drink, and two proper beds at the end by the door - but it’s no four star hotel, that’s for sure.

Once everyone’s put their belongings away, they go out to wander around the site. There’s a whole range of market stalls, and they stop at several that look interesting. Calvin gets a headband from one, so Louis posts a picture of it to Instagram, before posing for a selfie with Niall. By that time, they’re near one of the stages and they all have beers, so they hang around for a bit of music.

Louis’ not even sure who’s playing, but he and Oli are getting into it, so Louis gets his phone out and records them bouncing around and doing some hand moves to the beat. And just in case Liam hasn’t seen the selfie with Niall on Instagram, Louis sends him the video, along with the caption _atmosphere here is siiiiiick !_

They get spotted, so Louis and Niall go and take a few pics with fans and then they go with the group to find food. Oli stops them by a falafel place, and Niall’s so hungry that he doesn’t care what he eats, so they wait around in the queue to order.

There’s a lot of people in the queue, so Louis checks his phone, expecting poor Liam to have sent back a sad face, or a _wish i was therrrrre_ , or something else to prove just how great Louis’ weekend will be compared to staying home and being boring. This time there’s a caption with the picture - _atmosfere is p good here toooo!_ \- which does not bode well for Louis’ future smugness. It gets worse though, when Louis opens the picture and finds out that Liam is in the studio, working on music without him.

Someone shrieks, and everyone turns to stare at Louis, but it definitely wasn’t him. He would not shriek about the fact that Liam, his writing buddy, is in the studio without him and working on music that does not involve Louis in any way. Except yes, maybe Louis would shriek at that, because they are writing partners and they do not work on separate songs, ever. They are a team, they write together, and that’s the main reason that their music is so strong - it’s a joint effort.

“Sup with you?” Stan asks, once everyone around them has stopped staring so obviously at Louis.

Louis wonders just how honest he should be here, but all four of them are proper friends, and Alberto is paid to not comment on Louis’ ridiculous behaviour. “Liam’s in the studio without me.”

“Yeah, he’s writing for Olly - not, y’know,” Niall says, gesturing to Oli. “Olly Murs, he’s just starting on his next album. Should be great, from what I’ve heard.” Niall frowns as he reads the menu. “Okay, do onions work in falafel? Because it sounds go-”

“What do you mean he’s writing for Olly?” Louis shrieks, earning him a glare from the two middle aged women in front of them. “You mean you knew about this? Liam told you he was doing it?”

Niall frowns at Louis. “Well I set them up together, didn’t I? Olly asked about our writing, and I said it was you two, but he can only make this weekend and we’d already got the tickets, so, y’know. Anyway, it’s not like you guys are joined at the hip or anything, is it?”

Calvin and Oli both burst out laughing, and Calvin tries to cover it with a cough that doesn’t fool anyone. “No, of course they’re not,” Oli says sarcastically, as Calvin shakes his head. “No, Lou didn’t spend all the time we came out to visit him on tour this year texting Liam, calling him, making sure he wasn’t doing anything without Louis there too.”

“That is ridiculous,” Louis tells them, with all the indignity he can muster. “I did no such thing.”

“Except you totally did, and not just while these boys were with you,” Alberto tells them, which starts another round of laughter. “Several mornings I went to wake you and you weren’t even in your room, and every time there was a pathetic reason for it.”

“The one in Adelaide was not pathetic - my shower was running cold, so I had to use Liam’s that day!”

“You didn’t have to sleep in his bed the night before though, did you?”

“Look, lads, that’s enough,” Niall says, before it can get any worse, and he is definitely Louis’ favourite. “If we keep going like this, Louis will throw a tantrum, and none of us want that.”

Niall is the worst human being ever to have existed.

They all laugh like it’s the funniest thing they’re ever heard, and Stan says, “Yeah, and without Liam here we’ll never calm him down,” and they laugh even harder, which is rude. Louis turns away and folds his arms across his chest, ignoring them as they carry on. They’re being stupid, he’s not a child, and he can cope perfectly well without Liam here to hold his hand.

It would just be nice to share all of this with him, that’s all.

 

For the rest of the evening, Louis doesn’t speak to anyone else. He’s mad at them for teasing him, and he’s mad at them for all ganging up on him, when they’re a group of people he brought together. They should show him some loyalty and respect, and be grateful for this, instead of being rude and unfair and treating him like a lovesick fool.

Some time after dinner, long after that picture of the studio, with all the little dials and levels and controls on one big board, Louis gets another message from Liam. He didn’t expect anything, since he didn’t reply to the last, but it’s there anyway, so he takes a look.

_loueeee miss u so much writings not th same w/out uuuuu_

Louis huffs, and looks up at Niall, who just shrugs. Damn that Irish kid, he knows Louis too well.

_did niall tell you to say that?_

It doesn’t take long to get a response, but Louis finishes his level on the game he’s playing before he opens the message.

_maybeeeee but pls dont kill him it is tru_

And then a second one pops up, which changes everything.

_if theyre beeen mean pack up n come back to londonnn theres better things to do than hang out at glasto w/ rude ppl_

Louis audibly gasps at that. How dare Liam suggest that he just gives up and goes home. There is a point to be proved here, and no matter what it takes Louis is going to prove that a weekend at Glastonbury is more fun than anything Liam’s doing back in London.

“I have made a decision,” Louis announces, and everyone turns to look at him with various levels of bemusement and exasperation. “I will be a perfectly lovely and charming human being for the rest of the weekend, if none of you tossers try to suggest that I’m in love with Liam again.”

Niall frowns. “Not sure anyone actually suggested you were in love with him, just you two are crazy obsessed with each other.”

Calvin jabs Niall with his elbow, and hisses, “Don’t say that, he’ll get stroppy again!”

“Alright then, we won’t mention how friendly you are with Liam again,” Stan tells him, as he passes over a can of something from the cooler. “Now, we’re at Glasto, lads! We should be out partying, not sat around on our butts! C’mon, time to find some fun!”

They head towards the main stage, and find a group of people hanging out in a separate area nearby. Several of them are former X Factor contestants so there’s security with them, who are keeping away the general public so they can have some fun. There’s dancing, and more drinks, and singing along at the top of their lungs, and it’s all great. They keep going way after the sun sets and finally, in the early hours of the morning, everyone gives up and heads in various directions, back to their sleeping arrangements.

As Louis and Niall climb into their caravan and rearrange the seats to make their bed, Louis gets his phone out, and flicks through the pictures. There’s one of Louis with a beautiful redhead, a friend of a friend of someone Louis barely knows, and several other people crowded around them, and Louis sends it to Liam before he can think twice about it.

They fall into bed before Louis can check his phone, so he doesn’t get the message back until the following morning.

It’s a picture, sent not long after Louis went to bed, of Liam with Sophia beside him. The two of them are smiling and sweaty and wearing running clothes, and Louis frowns. _ah ha, we got up early, just out for a run so we can see the sunrise! sweet dreams boyssss x x_

Sophia is a darling, and a great choice as Liam’s personal trainer, because the paps seem to think they’re dating. Liam’s never confirmed or denied that, since he didn’t want to talk about his drinking problem and the weight he put on with it, but they all know the truth. And honestly, Louis’ never been jealous of her, because he knows what’s really going on there.

But she’s with Liam this weekend, she’s taking him out running - something Liam loves - while Louis is a hundred miles away in a caravan, so Louis’ allowed to be jealous. And even worse, Liam didn’t care that Louis had been hanging out with a girl last night. They could have done anything! He could have gone back to her tent for a quickie! But apparently that doesn’t matter to Liam, who just went out and enjoyed his run with Sophia anyway!

“So, any reason for you glaring at your phone like that?” Niall asks. Louis looks up quick and Niall takes a step back, with the glare now directed at him.

“In the early hours of the morning, Liam went for a run with Sophia, which is perfectly acceptable and okay and I am not going to react to it.”

Niall raises an eyebrow. “But…?”

Louis tries to hold back, but he really doesn’t have the willpower to succeed. “But it’s not fair! He went for a run without me!”

There’s a moment of silence, like Niall’s waiting for him to notice something. “Louis, you hate running,” he eventually says, when he realises Louis won’t work it out on his own.

“Well I wouldn’t hate running if I went with Liam, would I?” Honestly, Louis cannot believe how ridiculous Niall is being about this.

Niall nods slowly. “Okay, and just checking, this is the guy you’re NOT in love with?”

Louis pulls a face as he considers it, and then turns away to find some clean underwear. “Shut up, Neil.”

 

Breakfast - if you can call it that, when you eat at quarter past twelve in the afternoon - consists of a full English, cooked on the stoves in their caravans. Niall cooks the eggs and beans, while Calvin and Stan work on bacon, sausages, and enough toast to feed everyone at the festival. All of them end up with a small mountain of food on their plate, and Louis takes a sneaky photo of his before he eats. He sends it to Liam with the caption _breakfast of the kings !_ when the others aren’t looking, and then hides his phone away for a few hours.

When he checks later, there’s a picture from Liam, his captioned _well a queen taught me how too make this, absolutely loved ittt!_ It’s a salad, possibly made with salmon and several green things and a dressing, and Louis feels a pang of guilt. Liam’s been doing really well with his healthy eating, and Louis shouldn’t have used a greasy fry up to make Liam feel bad. At times it’s good that Liam has Sophia around, to keep him on the straight and narrow when Louis does stupid things like that.

Louis relents, just a little bit, and texts back _looks great! may have to try it some time, i’ll need something healthy after all the booze this weekend !_

Five minutes of anxious waiting later, there’s a reply. _come round to mine when you get backkkk :D theres lots of helthy stuff i can make 4 you, and i have reall food in my fridge ;)_

The phone suddenly disappears from Louis’ hands, and he yells out before the thief can get away with it. “Oi, that’s mine!”

“We know that, mate - you’ve been glued to it for the last ten minutes!” Oli tells him with a laugh. Niall’s got the phone, and he quickly types in Louis’ password as Calvin and Stan watch over his shoulders. “Come on, we’re at Glasto, with live music all around us! Who are you talking to that’s more important than this?”

Stan answers that one when he sees the messages. “He’s just been letting Liam know what’s happening, making sure he’s okay and that.” He takes the phone from Niall, and hands it over to Louis. “Nothing wrong with that, with keeping in touch with your mates, is there?”

Louis grips the phone tightly and stares at it. These are his best mates, his closest friends, and he can probably be honest with them. “I just like him a lot, okay? And I - well, I hoped he was missing me as much as I miss him, but apparently not. It’s like, I dunno. It’s not a big deal, it’s nothing really. Let’s just go and have some fun, yeah? That’s what we’re here for anyway.”

They’re near the market stalls, having just looked around some of the ones they missed the day before, so they head for the closest stage to find some music. It’s one of the side stages, with up and coming artists rather than headliners, but none of them mind. The beer is cheaper over here, for one, and the crowd is spread out, giving each other space as they dance around and enjoy the music. Louis even takes the names of a few acts, because some of them deserve the chance to record properly and release their music, and he has the power to make that happen.

A few people Niall knows come over, and after some more dancing and chatting they suggest their group comes back to their tent with them. It’s a bit of a trek across the camping grounds, but when they stumble across the corner with two huge family sized tents, Louis smiles. The area between the tents has been roped off, with sheets hung over the ropes to give them privacy, and it’s great. Here, Niall and Louis are just part of the gang, and everyone chats and drinks a bit and it’s good fun.

As the sun starts to set, Niall gathers everyone together for a selfie, and Louis gets one too. Liam hasn’t crossed his mind much over the last few hours, but now Louis has something he can show off about. While Liam’s been at home on his own, Louis’ been out with other people, chatting and having a great time, and he doesn’t even care if Liam’s got delicious food and runs with Sophia. That’s not as awesome as Glastonbury, and Louis remembers that he had been trying to make that point all weekend, before Liam distracted him with all the photos he sent back.

Louis keeps it simple, and sends the photo with the caption _such an awesome crowd, great meeting new people!_ Liam will, of course, be jealous about that. Liam loves meeting new people and making friends and generally being lovely and adorable and wonderful, and from this he will definitely get the message that Glastonbury is the better place to be.

Twelve minutes later, a message comes back with a photo. When Louis opens it, he immediately shrieks and throws his phone across the area in the middle of their group.

The phone lands near Niall, who picks it up and takes a look as everyone else stares at Louis. “Seriously though, mate, what is wrong with you?” Oli asks, as Calvin throws an empty beer can at Louis’ head.

Niall cackles with delight and shakes his head. “Liam’s sending him nudes now.”

Stan chokes on his beer. “What the hell, that happened pretty fast! You were only moping over him a few hours ago, saying he wasn’t missing you that much. How’d you go from that to nudes?”

Louis gets up and goes over to take the phone from Niall. “Fuck off, it’s not like that. He was just bragging about having a shower, because I keep saying Glasto is the better place to be and he doesn’t agree. And to be honest, with you assholes taking the piss every fucking five minutes, he’s probably right and all.”

There’s nowhere else Louis can go, but he moves away from the group and sits in a corner to look at the photo again. The photo only goes down to Liam’s waist, but his bare chest is still damp from the shower, and his wet hair is combed back away from his face, and all Louis wants is to be there. He wants to rub a towel over Liam’s head, getting his hair mostly dry so his pillow doesn’t get wet tonight. He wants to go over to the drawers and pick out some sweatpants for Liam to wear, because he never remembers to take clean clothes when he showers, and that pair look good draped over his ass.

Louis shakes his head and goes back to the group because no, that’s not what he should want. Liam’s just a friend, a very platonic friend who is not interested in dating Louis, and that’s the way it’s going to stay.

 

When they climb into bed that night, Niall steals Louis’ phone from the windowsill and shuffles over, curling up against Louis as he holds the phone out and snaps a selfie. “Right then, let’s see - message to Leemo, _got the best cuddle buddy ever tonight ! are you feeling lonely in that big bed of yours?_ And trust me, he knows I’m the best guy for cuddles, so he’s gonna hate that.”

Louis takes back his phone and frowns at it. “Um, what?”

Niall shuffles away and gets comfortable on his side of the bed, lying on his side so he faces Louis. “Well you’re making Liam jealous, because he missed out on Glasto, and that’s gonna help you. A proper bed is nice, but nothing beats a cuddle buddy - especially a great one like me.”

“Neil, you’re an awful person to sleep next to - you kicked me in your sleep last night, and you snore like a bloody foghorn.”

“And Liam sleeps like the fucking dead, so he never notices that.” Niall shrugs, and gives Louis a small smile. “I just - I dunno. It’s like, whatever this is, whether it’s you two being competitive like usual or whether you’re realising your feelings for him or whatever, it obviously means a lot to you. I wanted to help you out with it, that’s all.”

Louis smiles back, and settles down in the bed, pulling the covers right up to his chin. “You’re a good lad, young Niall,” He says, and they both fall asleep quickly, tired from the long day and alcohol.

 

They had agreed, many months ago when everything was organised, that Louis and Niall would get up and leave before six, to avoid the crowds and get them back home at a reasonable time. But when Alberto wakes them at five, to make sure they’re up and ready in time, Louis seriously regrets that agreement.

Everything happens so fast - packing bags, grabbing a quick breakfast and coffee, loading up the car they drove down in - that Louis doesn’t get to check his phone until later, when they’re out on the motorway and miles away from the campsite. And when Louis does get his phone out, he’s not even thinking of Liam. All he’s going to do is text Stan, to say they’re safe and heading home and that they had a great time. However when he unlocks his phone it’s there, another picture, the latest attack in their little battle.

There’s a caption with the picture - _got sum cuddle buddies toooooo, these guys are greatt !!!_ \- and Louis’ confused until he opens it up, and finds Liam in bed with his dogs. The picture is blurred, and only just catches all of them in the frame, but the mass of brown and black and white next to Liam has to be his dogs. And even with the lack of detail, Louis can see the relaxed smile on Liam’s face, his eyes scrunched up with happiness as he gazes up at the camera.

Before he can think too hard about Liam, Louis sends the text to Stan, his fingers shaking as he types, leaving the message filled with typos that he has to go back and correct. By the time it’s written in proper English and been sent, Louis’ exhausted, his late nights and the early start this morning catching up with him. The tiredness, however, makes him more frustrated than ever with Liam. Now that Glastonbury’s finished Louis has nothing else to brag about, no cool new bands playing live or awesome people that Liam would love to meet, and that’s the worst. Liam didn’t give up, didn’t let Louis win, and now he has nothing left to fight with. Now, he has no way of beating Liam, and proving the festival was better than being at home.

The worst thing is, now he can’t focus all his attention on the crazy, spontaneous fun of a music festival, Louis can admit it: there’s a part of him that doesn’t think that being at Glastonbury was better than being at home. Yes, some of the things they did were amazing and fun and it was great to see his friends from school again, but Liam wasn’t there. No matter how good anything is, no matter how much fun Louis has or where he goes or who he’s with, things are always better with Liam by his side. The realisation settles softly in his chest, like the moment he realised he liked boys as well as girls, and that’s how Louis knows he has to do something about this.

By the time they get back to London, though, Louis still hasn’t worked out what he should do. And that’s kind of ridiculous, given that he’s had three hours, more than long enough to come up with a plan. But every time Louis got an idea, his treacherous brain dragged him back to the thought that this is Liam, that Louis has to do the right thing at the right time to win him over, otherwise he risks losing his best friend forever. With that in mind, every idea, every hint of a plan seemed too weak, too vague, too serious - or even worse, not serious enough. So right now Louis has nothing, and he sighs when the car turns down the road to his house, knowing he’s going to be alone for the rest of the day, bored and frustrated and wondering how on earth to tell Liam that actually, he’d rather like to date him, if that’s okay with him.

“Stop the car.”

The driver obediently stops at the end of Louis’ drive, and turns to stare at Alberto as Louis does the same. “Something wrong, Al?”

“There’s someone up by the house.” Alberto pulls out his phone, and types something into the driver’s satnav. “Louis, stay in the car. And Jerry, if that guy comes down towards the car ahead of me, you take Louis to this address. There’s no other vehicles around here so you shouldn’t get followed, but keep an eye out, just in case. I’ve texted ahead,” He adds, as he finishes typing the message into his phone, “so they’ll be expecting you. You’ll get instructions from them about what to do next, because honestly, that’ll depend on - What the hell?”

A heavy thud makes the whole car shake, and when Louis turns back to his window, he shrieks. There’s a great big face there, dark and hard to make out, and then there’s a series of barks that suddenly explain everything. “Winston!”

At that point, Winston is dragged away from the window, and his face is replaced by the very sheepish one of his owner. “Mate, I am so, so sorry about that. I swear, one minute he was right beside me, lying on the ground, next thing I know he’d just taken off, heading for the car. How he knew it was you I have no idea, unless he just likes the car? But yeah, I came after him, couldn’t catch up though - the stupid bugger can’t half run when he wants to. Sorry if he scared you, didn’t mean for that to happen. Just wanted to be here when you got back.”

By then, Alberto has recovered from the shock, and turns to grin at Louis. “Looks like you weren’t the only pathetic one moping around this weekend.”

“Okay yes thank you very much.” Louis continues glaring even after he’s finished hissing at Alberto, and started to get his stuff together from in the car. “Just make sure you text the security people again, and tell them you’re either too dumb or too blind to recognise one of my fucking bandmates was hanging around outside my house, not some criminal trying to kidnap me.”

Alberto replies, no doubt another sarcastic comment on Louis’ relationship with Liam, but Louis ignores him in favour of getting out and greeting his bandmate. This means nothing, Louis tells himself, in the few minutes it takes to check his wallet, phone and ID are all back in his pockets, and none of his other valuables are going to be left behind when the car leaves. This is just Liam wanting to see you again. He has no idea you want to date him, and he probably doesn’t feel the same way, so don’t make a fool of yourself, by saying you love him or something equally stupid.

The internal pep talk does wonders, and by the time Louis turns to face him, he manages a perfectly normal “Payno!” and a nipple twist, the kind of greeting he always gives his best friend. In return, Liam reaches out and hugs Louis tight, and starts talking about something, and Louis listens and makes all the right sounds in all the right places. This continues as Liam takes one of Louis’ bags and then calls for Winston to follow them, and then as they head up the drive and into the house, with Liam explaining a song he’s been wanting to write and Louis adding comments where necessary, until the front door slams shut, and Liam suddenly stops.

In the moment where Louis’ stunned by the sudden silence, Liam turns and pushes him back against the front door, one hand on Louis’ hip and the other on his shoulder. The ridged wooden panelling digs into Louis’ back, and somewhere in the house Winston’s wandering around, his claws tapping and scratching on the floor with every step. And then there’s Liam, his face right in front of Louis’, his breathing as heavy and laboured as Louis’, his lips full and pink and perfect for kissing, as he stumbles over the words he’s trying to say.

“God Louis, I couldn’t - why did you, why did you have to - it was just so much, all those photos, I would’ve - fuck, I can’t, can’t even think straight, I just -”

“Liam?”

“I want you, Louis. I didn’t even - I mean yeah, I always miss you during breaks, more than the others, but this time - it felt so wrong, seeing you do all those thing without me. I just wanted to be there, to be with you. And last night, with Niall, I - I couldn’t stop thinking about you, about how lucky he was to be lying next to you in that bed. I nearly drove through the night so I could be there when you woke up, and I don’t - I don’t even know what this is. Fuck, I have no idea what I’m doing here. All I know is, I had to - I just had to see you as soon as possible.”

Louis stands there for a moment, trying to take it all in. Liam is here. Liam was at his house when he came back because he couldn’t stand being away from Louis for another moment. Liam wants him, in the same way Louis wants Liam. He doesn’t need to worry about confessing his feelings, or planning some crazy elaborate scheme to show Liam how much he means to Louis. Liam feels the same, so all Louis has to do is say that he wants Liam too, and then they can be together.

Rather than say the words out loud, though, Louis goes with his gut and acts. He grabs Liam’s face, his fingertips sinking into the short hair at the back of Liam’s head as he cups the stubbly sides of his jaw in his palms, and pulls him down for a kiss. Liam freezes when their lips first meet, his hands gripping Louis tightly as if he might push them apart, but then he relaxes and gets into it, giving as much as he’s getting from Louis.

It’s fast and frantic and desperate, their mouths working overtime as Louis moves his hands down to feel Liam’s chest through his thin shirt and then grab at his hips, pulling Liam closer as his dick starts fattening up in his jeans, ready and eager for more.

“Hang on, mate - Louis, I just-” Liam groans and kisses Louis again, his tongue briefly slipping into Louis’ mouth before he physically pulls them apart and steps back, out of Louis’ reach. “I’m gonna need a minute here, Lou. I mean, what the hell? You never told me you felt like this. It’s all just - like when did you, y’know, realise-”

Louis laughs nervously. “Um, a few hours ago? On the way back from Glasto?”

“Okay.” Liam nods, considering that. “Yeah, that’s - I get that. And I - well, you know me, I’m the kinda donut that goes all in with relationships, so I just - it’s not just sex or whatever, is it? Because I want it all, the cheesy dates at the cinema, the hand holding in public, the awkward first time meeting the parents. I don’t want - this can’t just be a quickie, because you’re hard up and haven’t had a wank all weekend.”

Louis leans back against the door and lets out a slow breath. Relationships haven’t been an option for so long - not since the band started, and he was asked if he wanted to come out, and no, at that point he definitely didn’t want to - that he’d forgotten about them. For years Louis hasn’t even considered dating someone, and doing things like holding hands and going on dates and meeting the weird extended family. But now, with Liam, he could have that. He could stay over at Liam’s house and watch TV, or go out to a bar with him, and no one would need to know that they were more than just bandmates hanging out together. He could have a relationship and stay in the closet, for now.

“Louis?”

Louis blinks twice, and the world goes blurry before his eyes. “Um, yeah?” His voice sounds hoarse and, oh. He must be crying.

“Mate, I don’t -” Liam puts a hand out to touch Louis’ shoulder, but stops halfway there. “I wasn’t trying to be cruel, saying that about you wanting a quickie. I mean I get it, I’ve thought about it loads of times, even had a few with girls I’ve met on a night out. It’s just, you and me-”

“Liam.” Louis’ voice sounds worse than before, wavering heavily as he tries to hold back another lot of tears. “Could I just have a hug, please?”

Liam reaches out and wraps his arms around Louis, and Louis nuzzles into his shoulder, glad he’s got his best friend here for this. His best friend, who’d like to be Louis’ boyfriend. His best friend, who Louis would love to date, and who would understand what he’s going through, because Liam would be going through the same. And suddenly that thought gives Louis all the confidence he needs to say it, the words Liam needs to hear. “I want you, for all of it. The bad dates, the nights in eating way too much pizza and ice cream, the days out doing all kinds of stupid stuff, everything. I want to do it with you.”

For an awful moment there’s silence, and Louis thinks he must have been wrong, somehow, and now this has screwed everything up, but then Liam turns and presses a kiss to Louis’ hair. “Fuck, I’ve started taking after me mum, crying over every silly little thing.” His voice sounds thick and heavy, even as he lets out a chuckle afterwards. “You sure you want me of all people, Louis?”

Louis presses a kiss to Liam’s neck and smiles. “Yes. Always.”

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr.](http://quietlyqueer.tumblr.com/)


End file.
